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About the role of wholetime firefighter

Being a firefighter is not like any other job, each day is different and has challenges and rewards.

Part of a team

As a firefighter, you are part of a team serving the local community and helping to keep it safe, you could be:

teaching children and communities about fire and road safety

rescuing someone from a road traffic collision

helping vulnerable people stay safe in their home

attending a large animal rescue

rescuing people from floods

or even fighting fires.

As well as learning firefighting techniques, you’ll learn other skills such as, how to wear breathing apparatus, road traffic collision procedures, fire prevention and protection, first aid, team management skills and there is the opportunity to learn how to drive a fire engine.

What the job entails

We divide the role of our firefighters into four areas:

Community safety

Our prevention and community safety work is vital because it ensures fires and other incidents don’t happen in the first place.

advise people on the importance of working smoke alarms, escape plans and what they should do in an emergency

engage with the diverse groups of people within local communities to foster good relations and understanding

work with some of the most vulnerable members of the community to ensure they are supported

keep up to date with local area knowledge

Responding to emergencies

An emergency call could come at any moment, which means dropping what you’re doing and responding immediately. On scene, we work to minimise the distress and suffering of anyone involved in the incident and provide first aid where necessary.

Our firefighters are expected to attend a variety of incidents, including:

road traffic collisions

fighting fires

water rescues

large animal rescues

flooding

chemical spillages

rescuing individuals trapped in buildings and lifts.

Training and development

All our firefighters continuously maintain training levels and keep their competencies up-to-date as part of the job. Training is delivered through theoretical and practical exercises and you would be required to ensure your fitness levels are maintained.

Station maintenance

Our firefighters maintain, clean and test equipment to keep it in good working order, following our health and safety procedures. They are also process and record information using our IT systems.